First F-35B modifications underway at Cherry Point

An F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter sits in the corner of Hangar 1 at Fleet Readiness Center East on Monday during its induction ceremony. Modifications of the jet will take place at the facility.

Drew C. Wilson

By By Drew C. Wilson - Havelock News

Published: Monday, July 15, 2013 at 05:54 PM.

HAVELOCK
— Sometimes, big things come in small packages.

That was the case Monday at Cherry Point when the first F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter was officially inducted for modifications at Fleet Readiness Center East.

At slightly longer than 51 feet and with a wingspan of 35 feet, the sleek, gray jet sat securely behind a rope line in the corner of Hangar I surrounded by an arc of dignitaries and employees.

“This is huge to
FRC
East. It’s almost beyond description,” said Col. Blayne H. Spratlin, commanding officer for the Cherry Point aircraft maintenance facility. “It’s big for
Eastern North Carolina
. It’s big for the Marine Corps. It’s really just a super day.”

FRC
East is the first Naval Aviation Depot to do the first modifications on the F-35.

The fifth-generation aircraft is considered the future of fixed-wing Marine Corps aviation. It will replace the AV-8B Harrier, F/A-18 Hornet and EA/6B Prowler.

“This airplane is critical to the Marine Corps,” said Lt. Gen. Robert E. Schmidle Jr., Marine Corps deputy commandant for aviation. “This is the future of tactical aviation in the Marine Corps, and we’re delighted to have it here at Cherry Point.”

That was the case Monday at Cherry Point when the first F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter was officially inducted for modifications at Fleet Readiness Center East.

At slightly longer than 51 feet and with a wingspan of 35 feet, the sleek, gray jet sat securely behind a rope line in the corner of Hangar I surrounded by an arc of dignitaries and employees.

“This is huge to FRC East. It’s almost beyond description,” said Col. Blayne H. Spratlin, commanding officer for the Cherry Point aircraft maintenance facility. “It’s big for Eastern North Carolina. It’s big for the Marine Corps. It’s really just a super day.”

FRC East is the first Naval Aviation Depot to do the first modifications on the F-35.

The fifth-generation aircraft is considered the future of fixed-wing Marine Corps aviation. It will replace the AV-8B Harrier, F/A-18 Hornet and EA/6B Prowler.

“This airplane is critical to the Marine Corps,” said Lt. Gen. Robert E. Schmidle Jr., Marine Corps deputy commandant for aviation. “This is the future of tactical aviation in the Marine Corps, and we’re delighted to have it here at Cherry Point.”

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., chairwoman of the Senate Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, said the region would continue to see an economic benefit from F-35 work for a long time.

“It is so important for an economic development, but also for national security,” Hagan said.

Harry Blot, a retired Marine general and test pilot who served as deputy commandant for aviation, said the F-35 represented the future of Cherry Point.

“It’s going to replace every airplane at Cherry Point, and with it comes the technology of the future,” he said. “Anytime a new aircraft arrives at an air station, the technology jumps ahead 10 or 20 years, and then you see the contractors come in and that’s money and jobs locally and things like that, so this is a huge day for us. It further protects us from any (Base Realignment and Closure) action that may take place. It is the cutting edge of technology and will be for the next 40 years.”

Mary Beth Fennell, integrated product team director at FRC East, said that about a dozen employees would be doing hands-on work on the jet, with a dozen other support personnel and as well personnel from manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

FRC workers will be reinforcing hinges on doors that allow the F-35B model to take off and land vertically as part of the first modification to the jets, Schmidle said.

Eventually, more F-35 work will be coming to FRC East, with six new stalls for the aircraft expected by 2015. In about 10 years, the first of six planned squadrons of F-35s is expected to be based at Cherry Point.

Lt. Col. Steve C. Gillette, of Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, flew the F-35 unescorted from Elgin Air Force Base in Florida to Cherry Point on July 9, landing at 10 a.m. on Runway 23 Right, sneaking into the base from over the NeuseRiver with the first-ever landing of the new jet at the base.

“It’s a fantastically performing airplane,” Gillette said. “It’s very easy to interpret and fight the airplane. Every time I get out of that airplane, I’m grinning ear to ear.”